Best Easy Blueberry Sauce Recipe - To Simply Inspire (2024)

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This easy homemade blueberry sauce recipe can be made in just 20 minutes using fresh or frozen blueberries, lemon, sugar, water, vanilla, and a cornstarch slurry for a delicious topping on breakfast favorites, and many different desserts and sweet treats!

With blueberry season comes plenty of blueberry recipes to use for those amazing fresh blueberries, including blueberry pie, lemon blueberry muffins, and blueberry oatmeal bread, among other things. However, for something a little easier that doesn’t require the oven, a tasty blueberry sauce is just the thing!

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Table of contents

  • Easy Homemade Blueberry Sauce
  • Ingredients/shopping list
  • Variations/ Substitutions
  • What to Use this Blueberry Sauce for?
  • How to Make this Blueberry Topping
  • Tips
  • How to store leftover blueberry sauce?
  • Is blueberry sauce best served warm or cold?
  • Can blueberry sauce be frozen?
  • What’s the difference between a blueberry sauce and blueberry compote?

Easy Homemade Blueberry Sauce

One of my favorite ways of capturing the flavor of fresh blueberries it to make an easy blueberry sauce.

Made with sugar and lemon juice for that sweet and tangy balance and with cornstarch to thicken it up, this glossy, rich, fruit sauce is the perfect topping for everything from sheet pan pancakes and blueberry ricotta waffles to cheesecake and vanilla ice cream!

  • Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries can be used. No need to thaw them first, as they’ll thaw as they cook. Wash and pick over fresh blueberries, getting rid of any debris or stems.
  • Granulated sugar: Sugar helps to sweeten the sauce but also helps to break down the berries.
  • Water: A bit of liquid to help thin turn it into a sauce rather than a jam.
  • Lemon juice and zest: We’ll use both for a wonderful citrusy element. I love the flavor of fresh lemons, but in this case, you can use bottled lemon juice if preferred.
  • Cornstarch: A combination of cornstarch and a bit of water to make a slurry will help to thicken the sauce so it’s not too runny.
  • Vanilla extract: A warm flavor addition to balance out the sweetness and tang.

Variations/ Substitutions

1. Add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg and use maple syrup instead of sugar. This is especially great if you’re making this during the cold weather season.
2. If your blueberries aren’t sweet enough, add an extra ¼ cup of sugar. Or for less added sweetness, lower the amount of sugar to ¼ cup.
3. Swap the lemon juice for orange juice for a less tart and sweeter variation.
4. Mix in a combination of berries like blackberries, strawberries, or raspberries.
5. Use this same recipe for a completely different berry all on its own.

What to Use this Blueberry Sauce for?

Whether you’ve gone blueberry picking, picked some up fresh from the market, or happen to have some frozen at home, this is an easy recipe made with simple ingredients that celebrate the flavor of plump juicy blueberries!

Use this blueberry topping on:

  • Angel food cake or sponge cake
  • Pound cake
  • a stack of Pancakes, French toast, waffle recipes, and homemade crepes
  • Cheesecake
  • Swirled in a bowl of yogurt
  • Oatmeal
  • Ice cream
  • Over grilled chicken or pork loin or pork chops

How to Make this Blueberry Topping

This recipe will come together in a few easy steps. Here’s how you make it:

Step 1: In a medium pot, combine blueberries, sugar, water, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

Step 2: Heat over medium heat to medium-high heat until it boils then reduce at a low boil and cook for about 8-10 minutes until the blueberries break down and release their juices. Stir occasionally so the sugars don’t burn.

Step 3: Mix the cornstarch slurry in a small bowl, then add the cornstarch mixture to the blueberry mixture. Cook it for another couple of minutes until it thickens.

Step 4: Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the remaining fresh blueberries and vanilla extract. It’s now ready to use! Serve warm, or at room temperature, it’s up to you.

Tips

  • Take your time to pick over the blueberries. Sometimes wrinkled and rotting blueberries can hide amongst their friends, and adding them to the sauce wouldn’t be a good idea.
  • The lemon zest and juice combination is for a deeper lemon flavor. You can omit the zest for a more subtle taste.
  • You want to make sure the cornstarch in the slurry has fully dissolved before you add it to the blueberry sauce. Otherwise, you may find little clumps of cornstarch throughout.
  • Remember it thickens as it cools too!

How to store leftover blueberry sauce?

Keep sauce stored in an airtight container or glass jars with a tight-fitting lid. It will stay fresh for up to 5-7 days if you’re lucky enough to have some left.

Is blueberry sauce best served warm or cold?

It’s totally up to you! I personally love warm sauce over cold ice cream, but it’s just as good cold when you dive into the fridge to grab a spoonful. To reheat it, pop it in the microwave or use a small saucepan on the stove. Add a splash of water to help thin it out again.

Can blueberry sauce be frozen?

Certainly. Keep it in a freezer-safe container or bag and leave room for expansion. It will keep frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and enjoy!

What’s the difference between a blueberry sauce and blueberry compote?

There is no difference 🙂 This blueberry sauce has a few different names. Blueberry topping and blueberry pie filling are others that are common as well.

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Best Easy Blueberry Sauce Recipe - To Simply Inspire (8)

Easy Blueberry Sauce Recipe

This easy homemade blueberry sauce recipe can be made in just 20 minutes using fresh or frozen blueberries, lemon, sugar, water, vanilla, and a cornstarch slurry for a delicious topping on breakfast favorites, and many different desserts and sweet treats!

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Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 36 servings

Calories: 18kcal

Author: Sherri Hagymas

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups blueberries divided
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • cup water
  • 1 large lemon juiced and zested
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • In a medium pot, add 2 cups of blueberries, sugar, water, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

    2 ½ cups blueberries, ½ cup white sugar, ⅓ cup water, 1 large lemon

  • Heat over over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries release their juices and have broken.

  • In a small bowl, add the cornstarch and water and whisk together to create a slurry.

    1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water

  • Add the slurry to the blueberry mixture and cook for another 1-2 minutes until it thickens

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the other ½ cup of fresh blueberries and the vanilla extract.

Notes

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat the sauce over low heat (or in the microwave) and add a few tablespoons of water if needed.

Use fresh or frozen blueberries.

Add an additional ¼ cup of sugar if the blueberries are sweet.

Swap the lemon juice for a couple of tablespoon of orange juice.

Mix in other berries like blackberries.

Enjoy over pancakes, waffles, crepes, cheesecake, angel food cake, ice cream or pound cake.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoon | Calories: 18kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.04g | Saturated Fat: 0.003g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.005g | Sodium: 0.3mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.03mg

Nutritional Disclosure

Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

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Best Easy Blueberry Sauce Recipe - To Simply Inspire (2024)

FAQs

How to intensify blueberry flavor? ›

The simplest is simply to macerate them with sugar. Mix the berries with a few tablespoons of sugar and some citrus zest. Blueberries pair well with lime but orange or lemon would work as well. You'll want to mash a few berries to release the juice but leave most of them whole.

How to bring out the flavor of fresh blueberries? ›

Don't forget about spices and herbs. Blueberries pair well with basil, cinnamon, ginger, lavender, lemon, thyme, nutmeg, rosemary, mint, and many more!

How to make bland blueberries taste better? ›

When faced with a batch of lackluster blueberries, the answer to transforming their flavor profile lies in the art of maceration. But, what exactly is maceration? This culinary technique involves gently coaxing out the natural juices and sugars within the blueberries by combining them with sweeteners.

How to make blueberries sweeter at home? ›

Macerating—soaking or steeping in liquid and/or sweetener—is one of the easiest and fastest ways to doctor up sub-par berries. Toss them in sugar, honey, or maple syrup, along with a little fresh juice or alcohol (an herbal liqueur, like elderflower spirit, would be great).

What spice enhances blueberry flavor? ›

Cardamom Blueberry: The smoky sweetness of cardamom pairs wonderfully with the tartness of fresh blueberry flavor.

Why do you add lemon juice to blueberries? ›

Adding a dash of the zingy citrus juice to blueberries before incorporating them into your batter brightens their natural bluish tone and prevents them from developing that greenish tinge.

What makes blueberries taste better? ›

Peak Ripeness. Another reason U-Pick Blueberries taste better than store-bought berries is because you can choose to pick the most ripe ones. Fully ripened to perfection blueberries are dark blue with a light white, cloudy coating called the “bloom” around them. This coating is completely natural and safe.

How do you make blueberries more enjoyable? ›

Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Blueberries
  1. A Sweet, Green Salad. Make a sweet salad by topping spinach leaves or lettuce with blueberries, nuts, strawberries, mandarin oranges, and a light Vidalia onion dressing.
  2. Pancakes & Waffles. ...
  3. Blue Juice. ...
  4. Blueberries & Bran. ...
  5. Top Your Oatmeal. ...
  6. Fruit Kabobs. ...
  7. Blue Smoothie. ...
  8. Parfait.

What herb or spice goes well with blueberries? ›

We don't usually think to pair herbs with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or blueberries but adding savory herbs like mint, thyme, rosemary can take blueberry pie or blackberry cobbler—not to mention fresh strawberries and raspberry jam—from pretty good to prize-winning.

What to do with blueberries that taste bad? ›

However, the best trick for sweetening up a bitter batch of berries is to cook them down. As the juice of the berries is released, the berries will turn sweeter, especially when combined with sugar, honey, and spices.

What can I do with a lot of blueberries? ›

When you've exhausted your blueberry repertoire, try these 11 ways to use this gently sweet fruit.
  1. co*cktails. Muddle the summer fruit in a gin-based pomegranate co*cktail, a refreshing limeade, or a simple bourbon old-fashioned.
  2. Infused booze. ...
  3. Syrup. ...
  4. Healthy PB&J. ...
  5. Salads. ...
  6. Barbecue sauce. ...
  7. Frozen Yogurt. ...
  8. Shortcakes.
Jun 20, 2017

How do you make blueberries happy? ›

Deep, low pH mulch like peat moss, pine needles or well aged sawdust conserves water and minimizes soil water fluctuations. Water blueberry plants during the day. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Give them at least 1" per week during growing season and up to 4" per week during fruit ripening.

What is the blueberry water trick? ›

“A common practice when harvesting blueberries is to pour the ripe and unripe mixture of blueberries into a tank of water to not only wash them, but also cause ripe berries to sink and green or unripened berries to float on the surface to be skimmed off and separated.”

What do coffee grounds do for blueberries? ›

Coffee grounds are highly acidic, they note, so they should be reserved for acid-loving plants like azaleas and blueberries. And if your soil is already high in nitrogen, the extra boost from coffee grounds could stunt the growth of fruits and flowers.

How do you make blueberry flavor stronger? ›

Mixing a little coriander in with your blueberry desserts or pancakes will make the blueberries taste more, well, blueberry-y. And there's a scientific reason why.

Why are my blueberries so bland? ›

Cultivated berries are often big, bland, and even mushy. Wild berries have a surprising kind of tartness, sweetness, and taste complexity that can barely be described…or resisted.

How do you grow blueberries more flavorful? ›

Blueberries thrive in soil that is acidic. The soil pH should ideally be between 4.0 and 5.0; soil that isn't acidic enough will stunt growth. Soil can be acidified by mixing a small amount of granulated sulfur into the soil several months before planting.

How to get more blueberry flavor in muffins? ›

With coriander, however, you can add more blueberry flavor without jeopardizing the texture of your muffin. As Serious Eats shares, a little goes a long way with the spice, and you'll only need ¼ teaspoon of ground coriander seed per batch of a dozen muffins.

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